DELPHI, Ind. (Court TV) — Weeks before the start of his trial, the Indiana man charged with killing two teenagers in 2017 just outside Delphi is asking the judge to allow him to view the crime scene with jurors.
In a motion filed on Sept. 23, Richard Allen petitioned the court to allow jurors to be transported to the Freedom Bridge, the Monon High Bridge, the site where the victims’ bodies were found, and the site of the old CPS building where prosecutors claim Allen parked the day the girls were killed.
Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, went missing from the Delphi Historic Trails on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. They had been dropped off at 1:49 p.m. that day to walk the trails before Libby’s dad was to pick them up around 3. The girls didn’t arrive at the designated pick-up spot, and calls and texts to Libby’s phone went unanswered.
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Prosecutors say Allen acted alone when he abducted the girls from the abandoned railroad trestle known as the Monon High Bridge. A key piece of evidence in the case is a cellphone video captured by Libby, showing a man approaching the girls on the bridge and order them “down the hill.” The following day, searchers found the girls’ bodies about a quarter of a mile away, on private property.
Allen wasn’t on investigators’ radar until 5 years later. He was arrested in Oct. 2022 after investigators said testing revealed an unspent bullet found at the crime scene was “cycled through” Allen’s pistol. However, the gun wasn’t the murder weapon.
A pedestrian bridge that extends over IN-25 (Hoosier Heartland Highway) on the Monon High Bridge. (Court TV)
The Freedom Bridge is a historic metal bridge that spans State Route 25 and serves as a pedestrian pathway to the Delphi Historic Trails. At least three witnesses took it that day in 2017, and they claim they saw a man matching the description of the man captured in Libby’s video.
The Monon High Bridge was an abandoned railroad trestle approximately 63 feet above Deer Creek. In 2017, the dilapidated bridge was popular among teens and thrill seekers. The surface was comprised of rotting and unevenly spaced railroad ties. Since the murders, the bridge has undergone extensive improvements, including new paved trails, a paved deck over part of the bridge with protective fencing, as well as having lights and cameras added for safety.
The land along Deer Creek, where the girls’ bodies were found on Valentine’s Day 2017, is on private property and would require a walk down a steep embankment to access. The land is uneven, with lots of fallen tree limbs and branches.
Allen’s defense is also seeking to have jurors see where the then-abandoned CPS building on 300 North was located, where prosecutors allege Allen parked his car while committing the murders. The building was torn down the year after the murders, and now the area is an empty field with tall grasses and small trees.
Allen has pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder he’s facing for the deaths of Abby and Libby. His defense says he is innocent of the charges. Allen’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 14 and last 5 weeks.
